"Each one, as a good manager of God's different
gifts, must use for the good of others the special gift he has received from God." Everyone
has been given a special gift in order to serve the Lord. Sometime ago when we studied
this chapter before, I wrote in my Bible, "God doesn’t love me because I’m
valuable. I’m valuable because God loves me." How can I praise and give glory to
God? The answer to this is how we should strive to spend our energy and time.
God provided each of us special gifts. Growing up, I liked to sing. In high school I
would sing with the 8-track blasting as my backup band when I drove through our city. I
stood in our wheat field at the farm and would pretend I was Julie Andrews. I didn’t
hesitate to sing at school for concerts, solos, or musicals. Then the invitation came to
sing at the church I grew up in. I endured the rehearsals with the choir director. But the
Sunday of my solo I became ill. Very sick. Stage fright! I called the church and told the
person who answered the phone I was terribly sick and couldn’t sing.
It wasn’t until years later at Reformation Church, that I was asked to sing in
church. I shared my story of fright with Trudy Schmalz, the choir director. She told me
that my voice had been given to me as a gift from God, and that I should use it to praise
him, in his home. She convinced me that the quality of voice, or the mistakes I might make
didn’t matter to him. Only the giving mattered.
I pray each time before I sing that the gift I am about to give will be pleasing to
God. I am not a professional singer and I do make mistakes, but I celebrate all that God
has given me through this particular gift.
God has made each of us rich with gifts. Some talents provided make us financially rich
or even famous. How do we use these talents to praise God? If we fail to use God’s
gifts, do we let our Lord down?
